


Forest of the Lost

by Cyanide_and_sparkles



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original work - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:36:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyanide_and_sparkles/pseuds/Cyanide_and_sparkles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Legend tells of an amulet that takes you to a magical forest when you put it on. However, a dark secret lurks in the forest. One that might be fatal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forest of the Lost

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on an original story, and figured, 'Hey! Why not post it on ao3!'

Stories are linear, usually. They have a beginning; the place where the story starts, and the protagonist gets their start, and an antagonist arises. A middle, where the protagonist faces challenges, and trials, and fights for what they believe in, and they have an end; where the problem meets its solution, and all is well. This tends to occur with frequency in stories, and usually they have a happy ending; they give the reader closure. But sometimes, there comes a story or two where there is no clear antagonist or protagonist. Where the opposing force thinks that what they're doing is a win-win situation for both parties, and they think that they're doing the right thing, but in the end, there is no end. This kind of story, is unusual, and often very creepy, for there is that feeling that the danger is still out there...

 

Lillian was a dreamer. She enjoyed all and any form of fiction; it was her escape. She read all the time. In class, at home, at the park. No matter where she was, she often had her legs crossed, and her nose buried in a book. When she was reading, the bullies and her parent’s upcoming divorce disappeared. She visited magical worlds, and allowed herself to ignore her troubles and slip into a reality that was not her own. She was a troubled girl, but a hopeful one.

 

One day, Lillian was walking home from school, and attempting to be quick about getting home, as to avoid her tormentors, when she noticed a beautiful amulet, with a translucent pink crystal in the middle. Engraved around the gem were the words, 'I do not like where I am.' Curious and delighted by the beauty of the silver amulet, Lillian bent down to pick it up, and a short curtain of mousy brown hair fell over her face. Blinking emerald green eyes gazed at the beautiful stone embedded in the metal.

"What a strange thing for someone to have just left here..." She murmured softly to herself.

Standing there for only a second longer, she heard voices cooing and calling for her mockingly.

"Oh little Lillian?" "Where'd you go little Lillian?" "Where'd our little protégé go?" The voices got louder as they approached.

Lillian slipped the amulet around her neck as she turned to run home, when she was suddenly surrounded by a dappled forest. Tall trees surrounded her, and dark green moss lay like a carpet on the ground. Flowers grew in patches, on bushes, and on small trees. It seemed almost like something out of one of the many books she had read.

"What the-" Lillian began, cutting herself off before she could curse.

"Where am I?" She whispered to herself. Then she cleared her throat. "Hello? Hello?" She called out. She took a step forward, then jumped when she heard a voice.

"Hello, child. Are you lost?" A lanky young man with pale skin and wavy rose colored hair appeared and walked forward towards her, the sunlight glinting off his pale pink irises, that were seemingly the color of the gem on the amulet. He was twirling a cane, and his coral colored suit was fluttering in the light breeze.

"Uh... Yes? I was running from some kids from my school and found this weird amulet. I put it on then all of a sudden I was in this forest. I have no idea how I got here or what's going on. Could you possibly point me in the direction of Sherwood, Oregon?" Lillian said, all in a rush.

The man suddenly gave her an oddly happy, yet concerned, look. "Running? Were you being threatened by the other children?" He asked.

"I suppose. It's not like I haven't dealt with that before though." Lillian replied, nervously.

"Well, I suppose it was fate then," The pink man said with ease, and a wink. “If you wish to return, then all you have to do is take off the amulet.” then looked at her curiously. "Yet obviously there is more to the story. I have been told I am a very good listener." He gave her a warm smile.

Lillian hesitated. He seemed nice enough. He reminded her of her older brother, before he slipped. Before he turned to drugs to comfort himself.

"Well, first it was the bullies, then the divorce and then my brother... Things just went downhill." she said slowly.

“Why are those…” he made air quotation marks. “‘Bullies’ mean to you?” the pink man tilted his head.

Lillian paused to think. “My best guess would be because I’m only nine, and I’m in eighth grade with them… I suppose they don’t like it that I’m smarter than they are, but a lot younger.”

“Well…” He stood up, flashed her a charming smile, and bowed. “My name’s Morganite. Most people call me Morgan, and you are allowed to visit my forest whenever you like.”

Rather surprised, Lillian smiled at him. “Thank you sir, but I don’t want to trouble you”

“No, no! It’s fine…” he trailed off as if looking for what to call her.

“Lillian.” She supplied.

“Lillian. You may visit anytime you feel like you need to just... ” he gestured with his hands. “...escape. You won’t be bothering me whatsoever. There is an entire woods after all.” He smiled charmingly and winked.

Lillian hesitated. “Alright,” she finally conceded. “If you’re sure… I suppose I could visit…”

“Wonderful!” Morgan looked as excited as a child on Christmas morning. “If you wish to go back to where you were, just take off the amulet. You will be right back in this ‘Sherwood’ that you speak of.”

Lillian nodded. "Thank you, sir," she said with a meek smile. She could sense something was slightly off, but she could not put her finger on what. Something was screaming at her ‘Something isn’t right! You don’t even know this man! If he even is one!’ but Lillian could not see anything wrong. It was like a scene out of one of her stories. A magical girl finds a magical place and goes on miraculous adventures. Lillian could not wait to start.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Lillian visited the woods often, playing pirates and princesses and other games with Morgan, but had unfortunately been unable to visit for over a week. Friday night she found herself stuck with her parents, who, like usual, were having a fight. Crying, Lillian ran up to her room, and lay face down on her bed, sobbing into the pillow. Turning her head so she could breath better, but still sniffling, Lillian spotted the amulet on her dresser. Lillian got up, walked over and gingerly picked up the amulet and unclasped it. Encircling it around her neck, she reclasped it, and immediately found herself, once more, in the woods.

Morgan sat on a rock, reading a book in the middle of a dilapidated and flowered clearing. When Lillian appeared, he looked up and smiled.

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me,” he said teasingly, then noticed she was crying and immediately the joking look was replaced with one of of concern, as he bookmarked his page, set it on the rock and walked over, knelt down in front of her, held her hands and looked at her eyes. “Are you alright?”

Lillian sniffled. “Mom and Dad were fighting again… They were shouting and…” Lillian gulped.

Morgan gave her a hug, and she cried into his shoulder, and told him what was going on, in between sniffles. When she finished explaining, Morgan stood up took her hand and said gently,

“Why don’t we go play? I know how much you love the pirate and princess games, so why not have it be instead of choosing pirate or princess, we play pirate and princess!” he gave her a warm and comforting grin.

“Like, pirate royalty?” Lillian inquired softly, drying her eyes.

“Exactly,” Morgan grinned at her, and Lillian, giggled, although her eyes were still puffy from crying.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The two played, running through the woods, along the coastline at the edge of the forest, laughing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Lillian passed by numerous serene statues of children in various poses as they played. One appeared to be reading a book, one was on their back, looking at the sky. They all seemed so peaceful. Lillian decided to ask Morgan about them.

“Just there to keep the serene and happy mood of the forest, my dear,” he replied easily, before holding out a stick like a sword, and saying “Well, My Lady Lillian, it seems we are at an impasse,” in a pirate accent, signaling he wanted to get back to the game.  

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Lillian finally said goodbye to Morgan, she found that an hour had actually passed. Silently thanking Morgan for letting her skip hearing the rest of her parent’s argument, she went downstairs, and found her parents worried sick.

“I hid in the closet. You were shouting really loudly and angrily and I got scared.” Lillian half lied.

Both parents embraced her, and apologized multiple times and then, after Lillian went upstairs again, started hissing blame at each other.

 

The next day, Lillian went to school. The bullies bothered her teased her as usual, but she blocked them out for the most part. They had started teasing her about her drawings. She had taken to drawing the woods in her school journal. She delicately drew the trees, the flowers, the bushes, and in the center of the piece, Morgan, reading on a rock.

 

Lillian had begun visiting the woods more and more, and although Morgan was busy often, she still found something to do. One time, she decided to explore the forest a bit more. Wandering this way and that, she reached a part of the woods where it was darker, the trees were taller, and there were many more statues, only these didn’t seem serene. They looked scared, like they didn’t want to be stone, and knew what was going on. One even looked like they were fighting something - and losing.

Frightened, Lillian ran out of that portion of the woods. Suddenly finding all of the statues frightening, she went to take off the amulet, but decided not to. Creepy statues were far better than the problems of the real world.

Morgan had shown her his collection of books inside of some of the trees, so she grabbed a book out of one of them, and sat down under an apple tree to read. She opened the book and immediately was immersed in the story.

She reached up to grab an apple off a low hanging branch, but her hand never quite reached it. She became part of the woods. One of many serene statues. One of hundreds to visit the woods, and one of hundreds to never leave.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Morgan found her statue a short while later, his once warm eyes devoid of any emotion.

“It’s a shame. I quite liked that one,” he said curtly, before taking the amulet off her neck. “But she does make a nice statue.”

“Goodbye, Lillian.” he said, before turning and walking back into the woods, twirling his cane as he went.

 

 


End file.
